Save the date! Pumpkins in the Park is scheduled for Saturday, October 10th, 10 am to 4 pm in Discovery Meadow. Free admission!

Carousel Update

Thanks to LDS volunteers and Southwest Airlines employees, the carousel is once again sparkling. Mothballed for four years due to budget cuts, it needed a bit of TLC to get it ready for state inspection later this month. Follow us on Facebook to get updated information on operating times.

Rotary PlayGarden

One of the ways we are raising money for the maintenance and programming of Rotary PlayGarden is through bench dedications. For a tax-deductible donation of $5,000 (small bench) or $10,000 (large), the donor's name or dedication stays on the bench for five years. We appreciate County Supervisor Ken Yeager and John Kelly for being our first sponsors! Please share this with anyone who might be interested in preserving a clean, safe place to play for all. Click here for more info.

San Andreas Regional Center will be holding their first annual Summer Festival at the Rotary PlayGarden on August 8th. Join them from 11 am to 3 pm for a fun-filled day for all families but especially those who have children with special needs. There will be games, prizes, entertainment, resources, and much more. For more information, contact Francisco Valenzuela at Savalenz@sarc.org. Due to the festival, there won't be an 11 am drop-in program that day. The park will be open the usual 10 am to 6:30 pm hours, and all are welcome.

If you are interested in booking the picnic area (six tables) or amphitheater for a birthday party or other celebration, you can do so here: www.grpg.org/rpg/picnic

Lupe the Mammoth, funded as part of the city's public art program, was recently installed east of the trail, just north of W. Trimble Road. Lupe can be a little hard to spot at first as she's located on the trail spur leading to Trimble, about a 3.5 mile bike ride from the Visitor & Education Center.

CLOSURE: Due to some PG&E gas line testing, the northern part of the trail will be closed from Tasman Drive to Gold Street from approximately August 7th to November. Alternate street routes can be viewed here.

Summer Adventures

Boys & Girls Club members from the Gardner, Smythe, Levin, and Alum Rock clubhouses joined us for a week each last month.
Activities included geocaching, bike riding, and learning about the river environment, animals, and food production. Many thanks to our neighbors at Trader Joe's for providing behind-the-scenes tours that complemented the lesson in the Historic Orchard on pollination and propagation. Thanks too to the Shortino Family Foundation for underwriting the cost of this program.

Meet Volunteer Christian SanchezChristian, a full time student, is crazy about volunteering. He began volunteering at our front desk this month but is no stranger to helping out. When Christian isn't in school or here at GRPC, he is most likely helping one of the four organizations he volunteers for. Christian is also a fan of traveling and hiking. He hopes to visit all 50 states by 2017, and he only has 11 more to go. His love for hiking helped bring him to our organization, but his favorite place to walk is Baylands Park. Thank you for your time Christian!

Every Tues. & Sat. 11 - 11:45 am
Every Thurs. 4 - 4:45 pm
Free!

Want to learn more about nature and our environment while visiting the Rotary PlayGarden? Join us for our free weekly drop-in programs in the Amphitheater! Topics vary on a weekly basis, and have thus far included: All about Birds, Salmon Survival Game, Parts of a Plant, Salmon Lifecycle, Animal Pelts and Tracks, and Impacts on the Watershed using the Enviroscape model. We welcome all ages and abilities to participate. Follow us on Facebook for updates about the Rotary PlayGarden drop-in program.

8 Week Summer Series
Thursdays, July 9th - August 27th
6:15pm to 7:15pm
18 years or older (14-17 year olds must be accompanied by an adult)
$40/members, $60/non-members
$10/drop-in

Join fitness instructor Kristin Strellis for a gentle yoga class designed to improve your flexibility, balance, and relaxation. All necessary equipment is provided. All you need to bring is yourself, dressed in comfortable clothing, and any stress or worries that have accumulated throughout the week to release outdoors in the beautiful Guadalupe Park. This Yoga class will be held outside and inspiration from nature will surround us. Reserve your space in this gentle healthy living class.

Summer is an ideal time to train young trees and encourage optimal fruit production. Summer Fruit Tree Pruning, a sequel to our dormant pruning workshop, will be held in the Historic Orchard, a 3.3 acre site planted in 1994 to showcase the varieties of fruit trees that once made the Santa Clara Valley the "Valley of Heart's Delight".

Using demonstrations and hands-on practice, professional landscaper Sean McGrail will teach you how to slow down growth, increase light and remove disease from trees. Bring pruning equipment if you have it, and dress in long sleeves and closed-toe shoes ready to walk an orchard that contains over 250 fruit trees, including cherries, apricots, prunes, apples, and more.

Saturday, August 29, 2015
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

This is not a GRPC class, but it is located in the Courtyard Garden near Taylor and Spring Streets

This workshop will demonstrate how to "Sheet mulch" an established garden for natural weed suppression. Sheet mulching is an effective and chemical-free process of removing lawn, promoting healthy soil and moisture retention, and keeping weeds away! Dress to garden and come prepared to work against the elements. Bring bottled water and a snack. Tools will be available.

Please consider a bequest to GRPC as part of your estate plan. There's no minimum amount required. In fact, you can specify any dollar amount, leave a percentage of your estate, or designate what remains after your estate has been settled. Here's some sample language:

I give to Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, a California non-profit corporation (Tax ID 77-0166797), $_______ or _____% of my estate or ____% of the residue of my estate.

I intend this gift to be used for an endowment that will support Guadalupe River Park Conservancy in perpetuity OR I intend this gift to be used at the Board of Directors' discretion.